Several notable Rivers State indigenes, including former Governor Celestine Omehia and former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, have urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend local government elections in the state.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) has set the state’s local government elections for August 30.
However, the stakeholders, under the banner of “Major Stakeholders”, urged the President to lift the state of emergency imposed on the state and reinstall the suspended governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and members of the state House of Assembly.
Among the members are Atedo Peterside, Chief Abiye Sekibo, Senator Lee Maeba, Dr Dakuku Peterside, Senator Andrew Uchendu and Tele Ikuru.
Other stakeholders are Prince Fafaa Dan Princewill, Dagogo Jack, Randolph Iwo Brown, Dr Austin Tam-George, Donu Kogbara, Dr Sokonte Davies, Dr Glory Emeh, George Feyii, Honourable Asita, Sam Agwor and Ann-Kio Briggs.
Tinubu, on March 18, 2025, suspended Fubara, Deputy Governor Prof. Ngozi Odu and members of the state House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Martins Amaewhule.
After their suspension, the President announced Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.) as the sole administrator.
The stakeholders stated in their petition that if the RSIEC, which was inaugurated by Vice Admiral Ibas (retd.), conducted the LG poll, it would be a threat to democracy.
The open letter was titled “Rivers LG Election: A Serious Threat to Democracy and Repeated Violation of the Constitution—Urgent Warning From Major Stakeholders.”
They declared that “the proposed local government council election in Rivers State is nothing short of an existential assault on our democracy and a brazen flouting of Nigeria’s Constitution.”
They also raised concerns over the ongoing “violation of constitutional governance and due process in the unlawful attempt to hold LG elections in the state.”
The letter read, “These elections, orchestrated by a ‘Sole Administrator’ with no constitutional mandate and allegedly imposed by the Federal Government, threaten the very foundations of our federal system, the rule of law, and the peace of Rivers State.
“First, there is currently no legally constituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) as mandated by Sections 2, 3, 5, and 12 of the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2018.
“Consequently, any electoral activities undertaken by such an illegitimate body are null and void.”
The group said the RSIEC had ignored the mandatory 90-day notice requirement before an election, as stipulated in Section 20 of the RSIEC Law.
“With no formal notification for candidate nominations or polling timetables, and an election date of August 30, 2025, announced on short notice, this process bears a resemblance to the 2024 polls, which the Supreme Court annulled due to procedural failures.
“Ignoring these safeguards is not an oversight; it is a deliberate attack on the principle of due process,” the group said.
While emphasising that “the blatant usurpation of state autonomy desecrates our federal architecture and imperils democratic governance”, they called on Tinubu, the National Assembly, the Nigerian judiciary, civil society, the media, the international community, and all defenders of democracy to intervene decisively.
“Rivers State stands at a crossroads: surrender to impunity or uphold the constitution and the will of the people. The choice is ours, and the stakes could not be higher,” they declared.
